Latest news with #ASB
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- South Wales Argus
Gwent Police launch new team to tackle anti-social behaviour
Gwent Police's Community Action Team began patrols from Cwmbran police station on Monday, June 9, targeting hotspot areas across Blaenau Gwent, Newport, Torfaen, and Caerphilly with a focus on visible policing and community safety. Inspector Laura Paget said: "Neighbourhood policing is all about being proactive, solving local problems, and making sure we're at the very heart of, and engaging with, the communities we serve. "Whether it's investigating the use of off-road vehicles in Alway or tackling ASB in Cwmbran, over the next four months officers will be working in the areas we've identified as being affected most by ASB and acquisitive vehicle crime." The team includes 10 PCSOs, 16 PCs, two sergeants, and is led by Inspector Paget. Since launching, the team has made more than 20 arrests for offences including drug supply, road offences, possession of weapons, and violent crime. They have also seized 21 vehicles connected to anti-social off-road driving or traffic offences. Inspector Paget said: "The public have the right to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and we've all got a shared commitment to increasing safety, trust in our services, and building strong relationships with the public. "The teams will also continue our work with community safety partnerships in each local authority area to build on the good work already taking place to make our neighbourhoods safer." Funding for additional resources in the Caerphilly area is being provided by Caerphilly County Borough Council, with a focus on improving safety in town centres. Cllr Sean Morgan, leader of the council, said: "We very much welcome the launch of this new initiative. "It enables council services and police services to be more closely aligned and provides additional reassurance to our residents. "CCBC is in a unique position thanks to our financial support to the new team, which demonstrates our continuing commitment to target crime and anti-social behaviour by working in close partnership with Gwent Police. "I look forward to seeing the benefits of this collaborative approach going forward." Blackwood will be the first town in the county borough to benefit from the new policing model. Jane Mudd, police and crime commissioner for Gwent, said: "Chief Constable Mark Hobrough and I are united in our commitment to increase visible policing in our communities. "This is what our residents have told us they want and that is why it forms a key part of my Police, Crime and Justice Plan. "The Community Action Team will provide the Chief Constable with the extra resilience to put more officers on the ground in the areas that need them most, and I look forward to seeing the results of this work in the coming weeks."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
What's going on with home loan applications?
Photo: RNZ Mortgage brokers say banks are struggling to keep up with the more active property market - and borrowers are waiting weeks to hear back about their home loan applications. BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said earlier this week that about 15 percent more houses were selling than at the same time last year. Mortgage adviser Campbell Hastie said bank approval times had reached a "critical level" recently. He said most complaints were about the processing time it took for new loans. "However, we're also noticing error rates climbing on maintenance or loan restructuring-related tasks. This causes rework, often a long time after the error was made, and unwinding that error takes time - simple errors caused by workload pressure. It must be said that most of the staff on the adviser teams we deal with are great, but you can sense the pressure they're under." He said part of the problem could be the additional rules lenders were working with. Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) changes were reversed over recent years because they were creating extra costs and compliance hurdles. But Hastie said some of the change was baked into the process and would realistically never be unwound. He said poor systems also did not help, and there had not been enough resource put into bank teams dealing with mortgage advisers. He welcomed news recently that ASB was adding to its team, but said it would take time to get those staff working a the level needed. "To prove the point, ASB's self-declared turnaround time was six working days as at 13 May but as at 11 June was 10 working days." ASB said the average turnaround time for home loans via mortgage advisers was five business days, or eight business days for people who were new to the bank. "We prioritise finance dated deals to help customers meet tight deadlines. Once we pick up the application, we're usually able to provide a decision to customers within 24 hours. For customers coming direct to ASB, same-day appointments with our home ownership managers are available, and we can provide a decision within 24 hours in most cases." ASB said it was rare for settlements to be delayed due to the process. ANZ said it did not favour direct channels over adviser channels, but it was seeing longer than usual turnaround times for advisers due to increased volume. Leigh Hodgetts, country manager for Finance and Mortgage Advisors Association NZ (FAMNZ), said delays could cause pressure and uncertainty at critical moments in the home loan process. "The drivers behind the wait times are largely a capacity and capability issue. Banks have been onboarding new staff, which is encouraging, but there's a natural learning curve that comes with training and upskilling. " She agreed with Hastie that there were hangovers from the CCCFA changes. "FAMNZ is calling for a more standardised approach across lenders to improve efficiency. The current inconsistencies between banks add complexity and unnecessary duplication, which only slows the process down further. We ask only that lenders treat each borrower with the same measure and same sense of urgency and fairness." Wellington real estate agent Mike Robbers said people now needed to allow 15 working days to get approval from a bank. "So finance conditions on offers are often taking up to three weeks to confirm. It's a long time for the property to be under offer 'subject to finance'." Squirrel chief executive David Cunningham said it was common for banks to be just starting work on deals lodged with them 10 or 15 days earlier. "You could argue that under-resourcing their broker teams (or under-investing in technology), is anti-competitive, and something the Commerce Commission should have looked at in the Inquiry into Competition in Retail Banking . "There are stories of brokers recommending that the customer go directly to the bank if it is urgent, rather than through a broker." BNZ general manager of home lending product James Leydon said its timeframes were at normal levels. "Our in-house home loan partners offer fast, personalised service, providing decisions within 24 hours for eligible applications once all required information is received and lending checks are complete. For broker-submitted applications, the current turnaround time is up to 10 business days. In practice, most decisions are made sooner - with average turnaround times around eight business days - as we prioritise based on factors such as meeting customers' settlement dates." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Lawyer accuses Government of doing billion-dollar backroom deal with banks ahead of court case
A lawyer is dismayed by a law-making process affecting ANZ and ASB court case. Photo / NZME The Government is being accused of making a backroom deal with banks that could save them billions of dollars. Documents released under the Official Information Act show officials quietly investigated making a retrospective law change that would affect a massive class action against ASB and ANZ.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Banks warn lending disclosure regulations threaten financial system
But amendment to the CCCFA's disclosure settings could interfere with legal action being taken against ASB and ANZ. Photo: RNZ Banks warn consumer lending disclosure regulations could threaten the stability of the financial system and are calling for changes. A report by the Reserve Bank - shared with government cabinet ministers last October - estimates disclosure breaches under the consumer lending law could have a $12.9 billion impact on the financial system. The costs could potentially be greater depending on the outcome of Commerce Commission investigation into possible disclosure breaches that happened between 2015 and 2019. The Bankers Association chief executive Roger Beaumont said banks would like to see changes made to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) to limit liability when mistakes were made in disclosures . "Between 2015 and 2019 any lender who even made a small mistake in the information provided to customers, like getting their phone number wrong, could, on one interpretation, be required to repay all the interest and fees paid until the error was corrected," Beaumont said. "That consequence would be totally out of proportion with the technical legal breach, especially if there was no harm to the consumer." However, an amendment to the CCCFA's disclosure settings could interfere with legal action being taken against ASB and ANZ by around 170,000 customers, over past disclosure failures. The RBNZ's report indicates it could take a couple of years before those cases were heard, which made it difficult to estimate the potential risk to financial stability. "The potential lead time before any adverse findings means that there is time for impacted entities to plan how they would respond," the RBNZ said. Beaumont said the ongoing risk should be dealt with now. "At a time of economic recovery and global uncertainty, the last thing New Zealand needs is the risk of this scenario playing out. "It shows why the law is bad and needs to be fixed," he said. "It's important to remember that the proposed law change does not stop consumers or regulators taking action against lenders for information disclosure breaches. Nor does it stop any cases currently before the courts." The CCCFA is a controversial piece of legislation which had been reviewed and amended several times since it was first introduced in the mid-70s. A tightening up of disclosure rules in 2021 led to unintended consequences, with mainstream lenders becoming far more cautious and denying loans to people and businesses with previously good credit records. Those concerns resulted in further amendments to the CCCFA in 2024, which gave banks more flexibility and discretion in making loans. Further amendments to the CCCFA were in the works, with a bill introduced to Parliament last month, setting out additional changes to disclosure rules. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Gwent Police secures £1m to fight anti-social behaviour
From April 2024 to March 2025, an additional 7,000 hours were dedicated to patrolling 'hotspot' areas across Gwent. The force's neighbourhood policing lead says this contributed to a decrease in ASB reports last year. The force has secured additional funds to support proactive patrols in places like Bettws, Cwmbran, Blackwood, Tredegar, and Abergavenny. T/Chief Superintendent Jason White said: "Positively, in the first 12 months of the operation, we've been able to increase visible patrols across 18 hotspot areas in Gwent and have seen a six per cent reduction in reports of ASB. "Over the next year, we're committed to complementing our existing patrols with an additional 9,000 hours' worth of high-visibility policing as part of operation Lockwood." He highlighted the force's 'strong, robust focus on neighbourhood policing' and the recent and upcoming launch of a community action team. This team will focus on tackling ASB and specific crime trends in identified areas. The funding will allow the force to maintain and increase its visibility within communities. Mr White added: "Officers not only act as a visible deterrent but are in the hearts of our communities to listen to you about any concerns you have." The initiative will see officers continue to work with community safety teams across Gwent's five local authority areas, focusing on reducing reports of disorder and knife crime.
